Here's the horrible truth about being published. You spend a whole hell of a lot of time writing stuff you don't want to be writing. I wish it were different, trust me, but that's the bottom line. I'm doing revisions now on something I'd pay good money to never have to look at again. And the bald fact is, I'm having to write more and more books that aren't from the heart because I need to keep getting paid.

The unvarnished truth is that writing is all about discipline. More about discipline than any other single thing. Writing when you don't want to, when you're sick, when the spark has left the story. Of all the things I wished I had known before I sold, this is the most important. I still would have written, but I'd have gotten into the mindset of a writer a lot earlier.

Here's another unpleasant but true fact. The gig does not get easier. Trust me. Your dilemma now will be your dilemma after you've published, only then, you'll have a deadline screaming in your ear.

My advice? Work on the stuff you can send out soonest. Jot down notes about your other stories when they hit, but just notes. Not pages of them. Then get back to the book that is in front of you.

It's hard to complete the books that you think are almost ready, because there's risk involved in sending them out. But with each fully completed book, you'll have added another layer to your foundation of knowledge and more importantly your foundation of discipline.

It sounds like a great idea to just get your partial ready, but I don't advise this. Finish the book. Polish it. Make sure you know who your sending it to, and that you've met the word count requirements. Agents and editors want the best you can give them, and to rush through the ending isn't going to give you your best chance.

I really believe you have the talent to publish. Seriously. You're good. Now you have to be tough.